1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of solar collector systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a solar collector that includes a header having a low point that facilitates drainage of liquid. Accordingly, a series of solar collectors may be mounted such that solar collectors are aligned along a horizontal axis.
2. Background
In typical solar collector heating systems, one or more solar collector panels are mounted on a roof or other supporting structure. Each solar panel typically defines an interior and includes a series of fluid conduits or tubes within the interior that circulate a heating medium. In a typical embodiment, the series of conduits includes an upper transverse header, a lower transverse header, and a series of spaced apart longitudinal tubes that extend between the upper and lower headers. The system is constructed such that a fluid, which is typically a liquid such as water or glycol, is introduced into the solar panel at an inlet in communication with the upper header, and then flows through the longitudinal tubes to the lower header for discharge through an outlet in communication with the lower header.
Because a roof is usually pitched or angled, the liquid that is used in the solar collector system will generally flow downwardly from the upper header through the longitudinal tubes to the lower header under the force of gravity when the system is not in operation, e.g., when the pump has been deactivated, so as to drain the liquid from the solar collector panels. In order to drain the liquid from an array of solar panels, the liquid must be directed to a drainage port that is positioned so as to define the lowermost point of the panel array. Because the upper and lower headers are oriented parallel to the end walls of the panel, the method that is currently used is to mount the solar panels to the roof such that the solar panels are angled with respect to the horizontal direction. In this manner, the discharge outlet of the endmost panel defines the lowermost point of the array, and liquid from all of the panels is directed into the lower header of the lowermost panel and is discharged from the discharge outlet of the lowermost panel. While this construction is functional, it is undesirable because the resulting structure is skewed relative to the roof and causes a displeasing, incongruous aesthetic effect, particularly in instances where a large number of solar panels are incorporated into a system. Moreover, installation of existing systems can be tedious and difficult because such systems require unique and non-uniform measurements and supporting structure in order to properly position each solar panel of the array. Accordingly, installation of existing systems is tedious and time consuming.
What is needed is a solar collector that is constructed so that liquid naturally flows out of the solar collector without the need to angle the solar collector panel with respect to a horizontal axis. Thus, the solar collector can be aligned with a horizontal axis, which offers a more aesthetically pleasing appearance and which also reduces the complication, cost and time involved with installing a solar collector system.